The Way The Cookie Crumbles
by SoulSoother59
Summary: When Caoimhe's business is destroyed, she falls back on her only option, leaving New York City to go to Stephen down in Florida. Can her boyfriend help her out in any way? SheamusxOFC


_**A/N:**_ This is the third part of Sugar and Spice. I would recommend reading the other two parts, one entitled 'Sugar and Spice', the other 'Sweet Like Chocolate', which can be found on my profile. Hope you enjoy XxX

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own Caoimhe, Olly and Panneteria. I don't own anything affiliated with the _WWE_ and I do not maintain to have the knowledge of any of the Wrestler's personal lives. Anything used in this story is for a fictional purpose and not meant to offend anyone. Thanks!

_**PART THREE**_

Orange embers burned in the tired irises of Caoimhe's green eyes. Her heart was in her mouth, her brain was working overtime, trying to piece together how on earth this had happened to her. Everything had been running smoothly, for once in both areas of her life, and now a curve ball had been thrown, and it had torn apart her hard work like a breeze toppling a house of cards.

The flames had torn through the building, turning everything in their path to ash and dust. They licked at the shattered windows of Panneteria, trying in vain to grow bigger as firefighters fought to extinguish them. And Caoimhe was being left to watch the scene of horror as it unfolded. She'd received a call from the police about an hour previously; the alarm had sounded in the shop and they asked her to make her way down there. What she found when she arrived was devastating. It had floored her and she'd had to grip onto the nearest solid thing; which just so happened to be one of the policemen who was on the scene, to keep her upright.

Her business was in tatters, torn apart by a fire that she couldn't account or compensate for. What was she supposed to do now? Her career was over. All the plans she had had literally and figuratively gone up in smoke.

"Caiomhe!" her name was being called from somewhere through the thick smoke that was rising into the air. Turning her lifeless eyes to the sound, she spotted Olly making his way through the throng of firemen and policemen crowded around her business "Darling, what happened?" he glanced at the building, a mask of horror covering his own face "I got the call too. It just took me little longer to hotfoot it across the city."

"I don't know," she was on autopilot "But it's gone. It's all gone."

"Honey, come here," Olly's big arms wrapped around her fragile frame swathed in a thick black woollen coat - it was after all 3am in March in New York City "We'll fix this. Everything's going to be okay," he smoothed one of her chocolate waves with his leather gloved hand.

Forcing herself to resist his embrace after a few moments of quiet indulgence, Caiomhe pulled away "How is it going to be okay Olly? My business is ruined, it's destroyed and I don't have the money to fix this," two stray tears rolled down her cheeks "I. Can't. Fix. This!"

"These things take time sweetie. I'm just trying to help you think about the future. It can't be all that bad."

She knew he was just trying to see the positive side. But she couldn't help but see red at his words.

"It is that bad! Can't you see that?" she was beginning to attract the attention of a few of those around them "I know these things take time. I've spent the better part of 4 years trying to set this business up. In the past year, it has gone from strength to strength and now I have to watch it go up in flames. I can't watch this anymore. It's making me physically sick," she shook her head at the fire ravaged building.

"I'll take you home," Olly announced, completely ignoring her verbal attack on him.

"No!" she held her hand up towards him "I need to go myself. I want to be alone."

"Caoimhe," he shook his head "I really don't think that's a good idea sweetie."

"I want to be alone," repeating those words, she attempted to turn away from him but stopped at the last moment "I know this must be effecting you too Olly, and for my outburst I'm sorry. This is just really difficult," and with that final statement she spun on her heel and headed in the opposite direction of the fire, hoping she would be able to catch a cab quickly at this time of the night.

The sound of the door to her apartment closing behind her resonated through the space, highlighting the feeling that she was alone. The quiet in the apartment was almost deafening, so much so, Caoimhe had to flick on some music just to distract herself from her thoughts. Heading for the bathroom, she turned on the shower, knowing she would never sleep. Baking was always her thing whenever she couldn't fall over into a sleep, but at that moment, she couldn't even look in the direction her kitchen.

The spray of the water was scalding as Caoimhe stripped and stepped in but she barely felt it. Closing her eyes, she braced herself against the cool tiled shower wall, her thoughts running at a mile per minute. How was she ever going to manage now? Her business was in tatters, there was no way she could save it. Like she had relayed to Olly, she just didn't have any more money. Everything that was coming out of the bakery was being pummelled back in. She wouldn't even be able to afford the mortgage on her apartment anymore. She had no other option but to sell her home, and use the leftover money to start again. She just did not know if she could face the emotional and difficult uphill struggle that would ensue creating her business from scratch again.

She felt sick, she wanted to bury her head in the sand and ignore what had happened, wipe it clean from existence. But the charred remains of her bakery, the smoke billowing into the New York air would continue to be a reminder of the night's events. A night she surely would never forget.

Her mind continued to race as she left the shower, wrapped in a fluffy towel. The blinking of her answering machine drew her attention to the phone and she saw that she had 15 messages. She couldn't face speaking to anyone or hearing anyone's voice right now. Collapsing onto the sofa, she buried her face into her arms, hiding away as she tried to make sense of her situation. There was nothing left for her in New York but she had no where else to go. This was her home, she was born here, her mom still lived here, and Becky and Kenny and all of her other friends were still here.

As soon as the realisation dawned on her, she jumped off of the sofa, her hand scrabbling to reach the phone. Dialling the number for Newark Liberty International Airport, opting to go straight through to Continental Airlines, she hoped there was some sort of availibility. At such short notice, the next flight she could get in was that afternoon, about 12 hours away. Scouring for her credit card, she gave the details and booked herself onto the flight. As Caoimhe hung the phone up, she just prayed that Stephen would be home.

* * *

><p>Stephen was tired, he could feel his eyes drooping on the drive back to his house in St Augustine. It was pretty late, he had hoped to already be home from the tour. He needed sleep, food and then he would call Caoimhe. His girlfriend's voice always put him at ease. He missed her when they were apart, his trips to New York City were becoming far more frequent than before. Unfortunately for him, her business kept her tied up, which meant he was always doing the travelling to see her. However, to him, it didn't matter, as long as they got to see each other.<p>

Having thought over the next step in their relationship for quite some time, he was itching to ask her to move some of her things into his house. But he was unsure of her reaction. Panneteria was her everything and he fully understood that. He didn't know if she would ever leave the city and set up home somewhere else. He just hoped he could change her mind.

Pulling the rental up outside of his house, he killed the lights and turned the ignition off. Getting out of the car, he stretched, cracking the muscles in the back of his neck and let out a tremendous yawn. He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and stalked up the driveway, flicking the alarm to the car on from the porch steps. Fishing the house keys from the pocket of his gym shorts, Stephen put the key in the lock and turned it just as a soft murmur caught his attention. He glanced across the porch to see Caoimhe stretched out on the porch swing that had been there since he bought the place. It was swaying in the slight breeze. Her eyes were closed and she had her arms tucked tightly into her chest.

His mind wandered furiously. What had made her come all the way down here? What could have possibly made her leave Panneteria? Not that he wasn't happy to see her but he knew it must have been something bad. He moved across to her quietly, well as quietly as he could for such a big guy. Crouching down, Stephen scraped a lock of her chocolate brown hair back from her forehead. She whimpered softly, and he frowned when he saw a stray tear roll down her cheek. Now he was adamant it was something bad. Bending down, he scooped his girlfriend off of the seat. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around him, drawing herself closer to his warmth and pressed her nose into his neck. Carrying her inside, he kicked the door closed behind him softly, dropping his bag down by the door and carried Caoimhe through the house. Placing her in his bed, he removed her shoes and covered her with the comforter. She looked so tiny in his bed, he was beyond worried about her. With one last glance at her, he headed for the shower, vowing the let her sleep and in the morning he would get the answers he needed from her.

* * *

><p>Caoimhe was rather warm when she woke up. Shifting, she pressed her cheek deeper into the pillow. It was soft beneath her face which then made her jolt awake, her eyes stinging from the sun that streamed through the curtains. Her leather jacket crinkled as she moved, dragging her fingers through the messy waves of her hair. She winced, flipping the covers back and shuffling out of bed. Her bare feet sunk into the plush cream rug which ran from one side of the bed, beneath it and out to the other. The room was very bright, the sun only slightly shaded with white lace curtains which draped across the windows that were almost the full height of the walls. The bed was the main feature of the room: king sized sleigh bed, covered with soft cream sheets and had sturdy wooden framing. Every other piece of furniture was made from the same wood as the bed and the possessions in the room were minimal. She already knew she was in Stephen's house. But the question was, where was he?<p>

The duffel bag which she'd packed ridiculously fast before leaving New York, was sitting just at the foot of a chest of drawers. She padded across the room, hissing as the cool wooden floor bit into her feet. She noticed Stephen had placed the black suede heels she'd had on yesterday down by the bag. Unzipping the bag, Caoimhe rooted through it for some fresh clothes. She stood up once she retrieved them and opened the white painted door to her left, finding that it was indeed an en-suite as she had hoped. Shutting the door behind her, she stripped her clothes and tied her locks back with the black band she always kept around her wrist. Turning on the shower, she stepped in, enjoying the feel of the water cascading down across her.

Drying herself, Caoimhe then dressed in a pair of fade-washed denim shorts and a sheer and slinky white oversized t-shirt which hung off of one shoulder, the hem draping just across the waistband of her shorts. Pulling the band from her hair, she weaved her locks into a messy side plait as she stalked through the house, her towel thrown over her arm as she searched for Stephen. She wandered around the house, memorising everything she saw. Placing the towel down across the kitchen table, she continued on, still in search of Stephen.

She passed a doorway, hearing a soft grunt coming from the other side of the door causing her to stop. Opening the door, she found herself facing Stephen's gym. He was already in there, lifting weights in front of one of the large mirrors. His face was damp with perspiration, his cheeks slightly red with the exertion of pumping said weights. He wore a pair of loose gym shorts and some trainers.

"Stephen?" Caoimhe spoke softly, not wanting to startle him out of his concentration in case he dropped the weight or jumped and strained a muscle. He brought his head up, his eyes meeting hers through the mirror.

"Yeh're awake lass," he smiled at her. It only took his smile for her internal dam to break and the tears to start flowing. Stephen dropped the dumbbell he was holding back onto the stand with a loud racket and turned, pacing towards her. His arms encircled her and she crumbled, sobbing uncontrollably in his embrace "What is it sweetheart? What's wrong wit' yeh?"

She couldn't speak for the tears that rolled down her cheeks, running into her mouth every time she opened it to talk, and dripping off of her chin. Forcing back more sobs, Caoimhe clung to Stephen's waist, her hands fisting against his bare flesh. Stephen was bewildered and scared by her sudden outburst. He had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her and that frightened him. Something had gone terribly wrong and seeing his girlfriend so upset was makin him ache inside. Tipping her head back, Stephen ran his thumbs across her cheeks, swiping away Caoimhe's tears. He pressed his thumbs to her lips next as she tried to babble her reasons for crying. He soothed her softly, murmuring to her.

"It...it's...gone!" she sniffed and sobbed in between words.

"Ssh...c'mon, let's go take a seat in the living room sweetheart and yeh can tell me what's happened," she nodded and allowed him to lead the way, his big arm around her shoulders as he guided her through. He pushed her down onto the plush cushions and she sunk back into them. Disappearing for a few moments, Stephen returned with a glass of water and a tissue, taking a seat next to her. He waited with baited breath for her to calm down slightly "What's gone lass?" he spoke, passing the water to her. Caoimhe took a grateful sip, trying to gather her wits and emotions enough to tell him the reason for her complete mental breakdown.

"Panneteria," she whispered, pulling her legs up onto the sofa and crossing them 'indian style' "It's gone."

Stephen couldn't fathom what she was trying to tell him "What do yeh mean it's gone?" he slid onto his knees in front of her in an effort to be closer. Slowly smoothing his big hands up and down her toned thighs, he tried to comfort her in any way.

Taking another sip from the glass of water in her hand, she passed it back to Stephen and he placed it on the table behind him "There was a fire. It...it destroyed everything. It's all gone. And...and...I don't have...I can't fix it," the tears began to flow once more but she dabbed them with the tissue. She felt so stupid and childish for breaking down in front of him, she was a grown woman dammit. The last thing she needed on top of her life being ruined was to bubble all over Stephen and freak him out.

"A fire?" she could hear the panic in his voice "Yeh're alright though?" he looked her over, lifting his hands to drag them across the top of her head, stroking his fingers through the loose wispy bits of her silky soft locks "Yeh weren't hurt?"

"No," she hiccuped "I wasn't even in the building," a deep sated sigh left her mouth. Caoimhe sniffed, dabbing at the tears once more "It's destroyed everything Stephen. I've got nothing left," her speech was more intelligible now "I can't fix it. I don't have anymore money. I've spent nearly two years building up the reputation and pumping every cent I made back into the bakery. And now a simple thing has just torn it all out from underneath me. What am I supposed to do?" she almost wailed at him, her eyes stinging from the tears.

The pain he could see in her eyes was overwhelming. He had some sort of idea of what it felt like. When he'd injured himself with that botched hip-toss, his career had almost ended before it had even begun. It had taken him a further two years to garner enough strength back to get his career back on track. But just like him, Caoimhe thought she'd lost everything. He wanted to be able to take away her hurt, to soothe her pain and make it all better. But there was nothing he could do. He knew his words were cheap, they would never heal her. But he had nothing else to give.

"It's going to be alright," he told her "Ah don't know how to make this better for yeh sweetheart. But we'll get through this."

"How? I'm going to have to sell my house. I can't afford it anymore. I have no where to go."

"Ah guess this wouldn't be a good time to ask yeh to move in here then eh?" he removed one hand from her thigh, scratching the back of his head slightly. Caoimhe was bewildered. Shock rushed through her. He was really asking her to come and live with him? "Ah've wanted yeh to move some stuff in for a while. But Ah never had the guts to ask," he grinned sheepishly "Ah thought yeh'd turn me down flat because o' yeh're business. And Ah don't want to sound like Ah'm making what's happened into a positive, Ah just want yeh to have somewhere to go. Ah want yeh to be wit' me."

A shaky breath left her lips "You should have asked me. I would never have said no."

"Is that a yes then?" his hand moved up towards her waist, his fingers stoking her skin rhythmically.

"Of course it's a yes!" she smiled teary-eyed at him "Where else am I going to go? Panneteria may have meant the world to me Stephen but you mean more. I love you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Ah love yeh too lass," dipping his head, he pressed his lips against her softer ones, feeling her yield beneath his touch. She parted her lips for him, and he flicked his tongue between them, tasting her mouth as he pulled her closer.

* * *

><p><em><strong>3 MONTHS LATER<strong>_

"That's not how it happened!" Caoimhe protested, trying not to laugh as she stuck the key in the lock to their house. Twisting it, she pushed the door open, listening to it hit the wall with a dull thud. Turning back to Stephen, he grinned at her as he launched their bags inside the house "I tripped. I honestly didn't mean to spill the-" Stephen cut her off as he lifted her into his arms, lowering his mouth over hers in a fierce kiss. Carrying her inside, he kicked the door shut behind them. Caoimhe laughed against him, wrapping her smaller arms around his neck.

"Welcome home lass," Caoimhe almost purred at hearing those words coming from his mouth.

"I should be saying the same to you. You must be tired and hungry. Go hop in the shower and I'll whip up something good for lunch."

Caoimhe had long gotten over her fear of being back in the kitchen. Since Panneteria had burned to the ground, she'd expanded her ideas and worked on her cooking skills as well, using Stephen as her guinea pig. Whilst her dishes were met with his sound appreciation, it hadn't been long before he complained that he would be getting fat if she kept going the way she was. Her reply was that he should never have got engaged to someone with an appreciation of the culinary arts.

Stephen nodded and pressed one last kiss to her cheek before lowering his fiancée's feet back to the ground. He disappeared upstairs and she turned to watch him go, enjoying the view of his long, thick legs and the perfect curve of his backside as he disappeared up the stairs. She threw the house and car keys down into the glass bowl by the door.

Opening the door, Caoimhe took a brisk walk down to the end of the path, opening the mail box and retrieving their mail for the last three months. It wasn't like she ever got anything important, most of the letters were for Stephen. Kicking the door closed behind her once more, she started to fish through them, sorting them into piles.

Bill, bill, bill, letter from Stephen's parents Marie and Mark, more bills, junk mail, a letter for her?

She looked over the letter, flipping it over in her hand. The postage stamp was from New York. It was handwritten. Placing the unsorted mail down, she tore the letter open with her nail, removing the contents from inside. He eyes flicked across the letter, also handwritten. Her free hand gripped the table, her legs going weak.

"Stephen!" she hollered "Ste!" she heard his thundering footsteps as he raced down the stairs.

"What is it? What's happened?"

He had panicked at the sound of Caoimhe's frantic shouting. He'd barely had time to get out of the shower and pull on a pair of boxers and some jeans. Still barefoot, with his hair dripping wet, droplets of water trickling down his chiselled chest, he'd charged down the stairs, unsure of what was so important to his fiancée.

He found her shaking in the hall, her hand gripping a letter. Caoimhe was speechless as she turned to him.

"It's from Olly," she told him in a shaky voice "He's been trying to get in contact with me but with us being on tour, he had no idea where I was."

"Is it bad news sweetheart? What's it say?" he moved closer to her, his arm snaking around her shoulders.

"No!" her voice rose a few octaves "Far from it actually. It's about Panneteria. Ummmm..." she breathed out, a large smile coming to her lips "The..uhhh...the insurance company found negligible fault with the maker of the ovens I had in my kitchens. Some sort of electrical fault with the wiring. It's what caused the fire. They...they've paid out money to cover the damage done to my bakery and the company has been forced to pay liability money for selling faulty ovens."

"How much have they paid yeh?"

"3 million dollars."

"What?" Stephen's eyebrows rose into his hair "Ah though that yeh just said-"

"I did. 3 million dollars. Panneteria was only worth about $500,000 dollars. The rest is liability from the company who sold the ovens. You know what this means don't you?" she couldn't help the joy the sounded through her voice.

"Yeh can stop fattening me up wit' yeh're cooking and open yeh're own restaurant?"

Caoimhe slapped his arm, watching him feign a wince. Stephen pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms securely around her waist. She held up the cheque, waving it in front of his face. He laughed, making her laugh as well.

"Yeh know Ah'm pleased for yeh sweetheart, Ah love yeh!"

"I love you too," pushing herself into her toes, Caoimhe kissed him, her hand gripping the cheque as happiness surged through her.

_**THE END**_

_**A/N2:**_ I hope you enjoyed the last installment of this. I have consider writing a full story involving Caoimhe and Stephen which would follow this but I'm not sure if I should. Let me know what you thought XxX


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